The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-10-14

Officers of the Great Labor Organization
Give Statements of the Affairs of the Or
der-Nearls Half Million of Members
in Good Standing The Finances-RecOnl-
mendations.
MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, Oct Sin the
Knights of Labor convention yesterday the
report of General Secretary Lichtman was
presented The NEST important feature of
the report related to the falling off in the
membership of tie order, which of late has
attracted considerable attention. On this
subject Mr. Lichtman said:
1.-THE number OF members reported in good
standing at the last session of the General
Assembly was TOE, 924. and the number of
members in arrears 25.753. This made the
apparent membership of the order, as then
reported. 1861: The tremendous growth
in the early part OF 1886 will be re-
membered. People came into the order by
the hundred thousand, so that suspension OF
limitations for forty days was ordered After
this forty days had expired the rush again COM
menced, and the result was to bring to the or
ganization mass of material that proved itself
to be weakness rather than q strength. None
of this material could be eliminated until after
the reports for July had been made The
tables which VIII accompany this report,
when compiled, will show the large fall
ing on OF membership between July
and October /, 1885. For the six months fol-
lowing the session of the General Assembly at
Richmond the papers of the country have been
filled continually with assaults upon the order,
upon the general officers, and every
thing possible done to eisintegrate and
destroy the order Yet, IN 6pise of
all this opposition the total num65t
of members reported in good standing July
is, in round numbers, 4S5OOO. Add to this
the $1,000 who are in the same relation
to the order as we're the &c, 75s reported as in ar
rears upon the last report; and we would have
the membership of the order $4,000 July /, 1897
This would indicate an apparent decrease of
about $4,000 members. But then the fact
should be born in mind from July to October
!, 1886, that there was marked decrease in
membership because to the 5S5, 900 named will
be added the increase from limitations and rein
statements and the membership gained from
new assemblies organized between July 1 and
October T. 1887"
The report went on to recommend the es-
Enlistment of cooperative saving associ-
alton in connection with the order and the
adoption of some sort of regalia to be worn
at funerals Legislation was also recon-
mended, making more stringent the prohi-
bition of the use of the name OF the order
OF any of its symbols for business purposes,
and placing an effectual boycott upon every
article upon which the initials of the order
were used without the sanction of the GEN
eral Executive Board. The recommends
ton is also made thaG the State assemblies
be made compulsory instead of permissive
General Treasurer Frederick Turner next
submitted his annual report, showing that
the gross receipts of the general eXecu-
tive offices in Philadelphia for the
year, including a balance carried for
ward from last year of $119, 915 SO,
had been $497, 656. O8, and the expenditures
| $941 ,6S3 81, leaving a balance of about
Sc, 900 in the treasury on July L. The de-
tailed statement accompanying the report
accounted for every penny of the disburse-
ments Another report was presented by
Mrs. Lenora N. Barry, general investigator
of wolnen's work, and the assembly took a
recess.
At the afternoon session Mrs. Barry sub
mitted a lengthy report in which she con-
tended that so far that part of the constitu-
ton which related to women had been but
a mockery, and urged that more thorough
educational measures be adopted in
! behalf of the weaker sex Numer-
| Gus instances of the cruel treat
ment of women working in nanufacto-
ries were cited, and a recommended
ton was made that undivided attention be
| given to the forming of productive and dis
| tributive cooperative enterprises, particu-
| larly in the manufacture of mems, women's
and children's garments.
The report of the General Executive Board,
referring to the "black list" which was sent
to leading manufacturers in the Mahoning
valley and resulted in preventing many
of the men whose names were ON the
list from getting work, recommends that a
speedy example be made in some of the
many cases of conspiracy that are constant
| ly arising, as it is very evident that the laws
are being used for the intimidation of broth
ers every where, and says:
employers should be made to understand
that laws are not alone made for their special
use and benefit, but for the protection of
| the weak and the expressions Of the strong as
we'll
Regarding the difficulty with District AS
sembly 1875, the board makes the point that
John Morrison, the prime mover in the af-
! fair, is not member in good standing OF
| the order, and that while he has had an OPP
| portunity to reinstate himself he has failed
| to take advantage of it. The board also
said it did not interfere in the Higgins & Co.
strike until requested to do so, and that the
district assembly refused to obey orders
even after the strike was settled The re-
| port also contains list of the firms against
whom boycotts have been ordered
A report from the Committee ON State OF
| the Order rehearsed the discussion with q
similar committee from the trades unions
last December when an attempt was
made to settle grievances between
the unions and the Knights of Labor
| The committee believes that the so-called
| grievances are used by certain members OF
trades unions to further their own selfish
ends. and recommends that a circular be
| sent to all trade and labor unions explain
| ing the position of the Knights of Labor
on the subject They say the argu.
ment that union with the Knight:
of Labor would destroy the autonomy of the
trades displays an ignorance of the princi
| pies of the order which has given opportu-
nifty to any trade to organize within the
order and perform the functions as a trade
organization when the conditions involved
| would justify.
Reports were also received from the COM
mittees on education and compilation OF
conspiracy laws, and from ]. P. McGaughey
secret airy of the Cooperative Board The
latter board asks for power to establish g
large cooperative agricultural machinery
mandatory, and to adopt the cooperative
farm in Crow Wing County, Mimi.
The opinions which are expressed con-
corning the address are varied The utter
ances in relation to Anarchy and the order
are received with general favor, although
they will not deter the friends Of the con
/ demned men from making Vigorou!
| effort on their behalf
| WHOLESALE POISONING.